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Contemporary service environments characterized by advanced technologies augmenting customer-frontline interactions present significant changes in the working environment of service managers. The COVID-19 pandemic further transformed the way of doing business in the service industry. This chapter explicates how complex contemporary service environments can be better understood, when applying service-dominant (S-D) logic informed strategies and methodologies that promote value cocreation processes and the engagement of broad sets of actors. It points toward—what we coin Service Management 4.0—a possible future for service management that embraces human-centered technologies, smart (cyber-physical) service ecosystems, inclusive and nature-positive service. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.
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Digital service transformations affect how consumers experience value-in-use. Yet, the process consumers use to evaluate value propositions for emergent, early-stage service transformations remains unclear. This is especially true for digital service transformations brought on by exogenous shocks requiring a near-immediate response. The abrupt lockdown of face-to-face services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic forced many organizations to launch remote offerings with little prior usage. In a telemedicine context, we develop an Anticipatory Value-in-Use Framework, investigating how consumers' value-in-use process for a digital service transformation unfolds across three stages: value-in-use prerequisites, anticipatory value co-creation, and anticipatory value-in-use. Using SmartPLS we analyze 669 responses collected pre- and post-COVID-19 lockdown. Our results demonstrate the framework offers a consistent conceptualization of how consumers formulate anticipatory value-in-use when actual experience with the service transformation is lacking. However, consumers may weigh factors differently following exogenous shock-imposed transformations, requiring marketers to carefully articulate a transformation's value propositions. © 2023 Elsevier Inc.
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The devastating outbreaks of COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted social and economic sustainability of the world, particularly in routine services that require physical interactions, such as dining services. With the retrospective analysis via case study, we identified three cases in dining service from USA, Indonesia, Taiwan, respectively, and investigated their service systems with the Service-Dominant Logic to understand the interactions among actors and how they integrated resources to cope with the pandemic. We identified their resilient practices heavily relied on various types of social capital to quickly respond to demand shifts, reconnect value networks, and leverage ICTs for marketing and sales. These resilient practices could be used for guiding small and medium enterprises to cope with devastating unexpected crises, taking COVID-19 as an example. More cases collected and analyzed from corresponding regions in the follow-up study could further conclude a more general causal relationship in resilience toward the theory for resilience. © 2023 IEEE Computer Society. All rights reserved.
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PurposeThe Sports Live Streaming Platforms (SLSPs) have taken centre stage in broadcasting sporting events. This study adopts the value creation sphere (VCS) model and the service dominant logic (SDL) to unpack the value co-creation process on SLSPs.Design/methodology/approachA case study with one of the most representative SLSPs in China, involving the netnographic approach and in-depth interviews, was conducted.FindingsThis study redefines the value co-creation spheres in the context of SLSPs and identifies four actors who contribute to viewers' value perceptions. The findings show that viewers' values can be co-created individually and collectively with other actors in both the customer sphere and the joint sphere.Originality/valueThis study extends the theoretical boundary of value co-creation into the context of SLSPs. The study findings help SLSPs managers and decision makers understand the value co-creation process to gain competitive advantages and enhance the sustainability of their services.
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During the global covid-19 pandemic, most of higher education institutions (heis) were forced to migrate to an e-learning methodology in order to continue their academic activities. At the same time, the student complaint behavior (scb) increased due to new experiences of dissatisfaction or non-satisfaction. In this context, and seeking to ensure student satisfaction, heis have managed this behavior in the same form that companies do with their customers. Therefore, we present a critical analysis on the generic and standardized approach in the literature and practice to understanding and managing scb in the same way as customer complaint behavior (ccb) is man-aged. A review of the literature on the theories and studies related to scb and ccb and the student/ customer treatment debate are presented, highlighting the complexity of higher education (he) service, which is considered a pillar of development due to its social value. The authors argue the suitable application of the Service-Dominant Logic (sdl), specifically its value co-creation premise, as well as the principles of the Service Ecosystem theory to differentiate scb from ccb. This may allow heis to continue to ensure student satisfaction through the management of their complaints without compromising educational quality and service sustainability. The reflection hereby presented is limited to the Latin America region educational contexts and their structures. © 2023, Universidad Nacional de Colombia. All rights reserved.
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Recent years have witnessed an increased demand for mobile health (mHealth) platforms owing to the COVID-19 pandemic and preference for doorstep delivery. However, factors impacting user experiences and satisfaction levels across these platforms, using customer reviews, are still largely unexplored in academic research. The empirical framework we proposed in this paper addressed this research gap by analysing unmonitored user comments for some popular mHealth platforms. Using topic-modelling techniques, we identified the impacting factors (predictors) and categorised them into two major dimensions based on strategic adoption and motivational association. Findings from our study suggest that time and money, convenience, responsiveness, and availability emerge as significant predictors for delivering a positive user experience on m-health platforms. Next, we identified substantial moderating effects of review polarity on the predictors related to brand association and hedonic motivation, such as online booking and video consultation. Further, we also identified the top predictors for successful user experience across these platforms. Recommendations from our study will benefit business managers by offering an improved service design leading to higher user satisfaction across these m-health platforms.
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This study is an investigation into the factors affecting patient dissatisfaction among Saudi hospitals. The selected factors considered for analysis are security of information sharing, operational practices, disruptive technologies, and the ease of use of EHR patient information management systems. From the literature review section, it was clear that hardly any other studies have embraced these concepts in one as was intended by this study. The theories that the study heavily draws from are the service dominant logic and the feature integration theory. The study surveyed 350 respondents from three large major hospitals in three different metropolitan cities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This sample came from members of the three hospitals that were willing to participate in the study. The number 350 represents those that successfully completed the online questionnaire or the limited physical questionnaires in time. The study employed the structural equation modelling technique to analyze the associations. Findings suggested that security of information sharing had a significant direct effect on patient satisfaction. Operational practice positively mediated the effect of security of information sharing on patient dissatisfaction. However, ease of use failed to significant impact this association. The study concluded that to improve patient satisfaction, Saudi hospitals must work on their systems to reinforce them against the active threats on the privacy of patients' data by leveraging disruptive technology. They should also improve their operational practices by embracing quality management techniques relevant to the healthcare sector.
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Purpose Covid has increased the usage of multisided digital platforms. For companies, this has become a business opportunity. Data usage on platforms requires that platform companies co-create services for common customers. In this case, the target is not to make the same value proposition but rather to use the resources such as data, knowledge, technology, or institutions in a complementary manner. Platforms are characterized as a combination of hardware and software including standards, interfaces, and rules making it possible for different ecosystem players to complement and interact in the ecosystem. Current ecosystems include several platforms that do not work without resource integration. The purpose of this study is to increase understanding what do we mean by resource complementarity in service ecosystems. Design/methodology/approach This study was done via an in-depth qualitative case study in which a health service ecosystem co-creating technological surgery innovation was used as a unit of analysis. Findings The authors' findings suggest that key resource capabilities, to enable complementarity in service ecosystems, are motivation, knowledge, skills, data and complementary designed technology components. Research limitations/implications The authors' study increases theoretical understanding of what does one mean by construct of resource complementarity. Practical implications From a managerial perspective, it is shown that organizations need to develop adaptive capabilities to utilize internal and external competencies and resources and enable co-creative processes within the service ecosystem. Originality/value Very few empirical studies in the marketing literature have focused on multi-sided digital platforms and their resource complementarity in the data-driven healthcare ecosystem settings.
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Purpose: This study aims to investigate the drivers that motivate employees and guests' hotel service participation to understand how that can influence the implementation of Value Co-Creation (VCC) in sub-Saharan African context. Design/methodology/approach: Using an interpretive paradigm, the study draws on 32 in-depth interviews, 6 focus group discussions involving 32 participants and participant observation field notes. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings: The study unravels nine motives that drive employee–guest VCC participation: passion, relationship, belongingness, shared and enhanced experiences, satisfaction, reputation development, openness, communication and rewards. Research limitations/implications: This exploratory, cross-sectional study was undertaken in hotels within sub-Saharan Africa. Thus, findings cannot be generalised. However, it provides an opportunity for future quantitative approaches within different contexts involving other stakeholders. Practical implications: Considering the numerous challenges from COVID-19 pandemic on the service industry, hotel managers might want to use the findings to not only formulate policies that support employee–guest co-creation for service improvement and survival but also introduce enhanced innovative service practices that deliver on employee and guest service expectations for retention. The findings encourage hotel managers to identify employee and guest context-specific motivations to be able to match with value-driven service activities, aimed at attracting positive behaviours to better respond to the numerous COVID-19-related challenges. Originality/value: This work adds to the VCC literature by investigating the collective and individual drivers at the employee and guest dyadic level within sub-Saharan African hotel context. The authors propose a comprehensive model to guide the successful implementation of employee–guest VCC. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.
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Purpose - A solid service-oriented foundation is required to make supply chain management a competitive advantage, especially in this Covid-19 pandemic. A well-established service-oriented supply chain becomes more adaptable to changing client expectations. This study aims at analysing the direct and indirect impact of risks on the service-oriented supply chain from a pandemic perspective. Design/methodology/approach - The Q-sort method is applied with the participation of nine top-level managers to initially review the reliability, validity, and unidimensionality of research concepts. Then a questionnaire containing these measuring variables is developed to obtain the opinions of those who are experienced in logistics and supply chain management. These empirical data are analysed based on Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to evaluate direct and indirect effects of risks on supply chain performance. Findings - The risk is inherent in service-oriented supply chains, affecting both direct and indirect performance. The proposed risk model explains 33.6 percent of Supplier performance, 46.4 percent of Operational performance, 47.1 percent of Customer satisfaction, and 46.5 percent of Finance variation. We found that service-oriented supply chains effectively monitor demand risk. External risk has the smallest impact on supply chain performance measures, whereas demand risk has the smallest effect. That a service-oriented supply chain is focused on meeting customer demand and managing demand-related risks is reinforced by these findings. Research limitations/implications - In the literature on supply chain risk management, resilience studies and disruption management receive less attention than studies on risk assessment and risk mitigation (Katsaliaki et al., 2021). Future supply chain risk management research should differentiate between risk-as an event and/or risk-as a process since they have different periodic effects on response management and resilience. Originality/value - This is a pioneering study looking at the risk side of service-oriented supply chain. The data using in this research is from a large-scale survey supported by Japanese Government to promote ASEAN sustainable socio-economic development. This dataset collected during the Covid-19 pandemic to validate our models is an interesting and topical point of this study. © 2022 Universidade do Minho. All rights reserved.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has changed everything. Our new way of living has created a new era of demands and changes in each sector, including the business world. Attitudes and policies of organizations related to company operations in this pandemic are very diverse. These changes range from stopping operations to reducing working hours and capacity until normal operation resumes. This pandemic is not over yet, but we are optimistic that it will end soon. To survive in a pandemic requires unusual strategies. The Service Dominant Logic (SDL) approach has been used to create value between producers, consumers, and related elements. Health insurance for products and services is currently the main demand. The enforcement of the CHSE (Clean, Health, Safety, and Environment) certificate is an obligation between producers, consumers, and related elements to value co-creation. The CHSE certification serves as a guarantee to consumers and the general public that the products and services provided by companies meet hygiene, health, safety, and environmental sustainability protocols. © 2022 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc.
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Firms are grappling with multiple challenges because of COVID-19, such as supply discontinuity, disruptions, irregular demand patterns, and service delivery issues, among others. The disruption brought by the pandemic has highlighted the relevance of responsiveness and agility in service chains in particular. The unprecedented nature of the pandemic, however, has made design of agile and responsive supply chains difficult, especially for services that draw on intangible, unique resources. In this paper, we develop relevant-and thus far largely absent-theory for the design of service supply chains through a model of service supply chain fit that will guide service firms to prepare better for COVID and future threats. Our model guides the identification of the right supply chain (responsive, efficient, or agile) for services based on their operant resources, which are the intangible resources that act on other resources. Using a qualitative study, we first draw on service-dominant logic and supply chain fit framework to develop the concept of service supply chain fit;that is, the strategic consistency between a service firm's operant resources and its supply chain. We then validate our model using survey data. The results indicate that service supply chain acts as both moderator and mediator for the relationship between operant resources and firm performance. Our findings indicate that, unless managers view service supply chain fit strategically and invest in developing operant resources for the right supply chain, future COVID-like disruptions may continue to severely impact firm performance.
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Purpose This paper investigates the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated service innovation in the restaurant sector. It explores the use of digital technologies (DT) as a safety-empowerment and resilient strategy in the food-service industry during the pandemic. It also investigates the impact of DT on customers' risk perception (CRP) and customers' intention to go to restaurants (CIR) in Italy. Design/methodology/approach Based on the theory of planned behaviour and perceived risk theory, this study investigates a sample of customers residing in Italy. Multiple regression and mediation analyses are conducted to test the research hypotheses, adapting the logic model developed. Using the bootstrapping technique, this study also explores whether the pandemic has moderated the relationship among several variables adapted from the literature. Robustness tests are also performed to corroborate the analysis. Findings The pandemic has accelerated the food-service industry's digital transformation, forcing restauranteurs to implement DT to survive. Findings show that DT support restauranteurs in implementing innovative services that reduce interactions and empower cleanliness among workers and customers, reducing CRP and preserving CIR. Thus, managing risk perception is helping the restaurant sector to recover. Practical implications Practical implications are presented for policymakers to catalyse the digital transformation in small- and medium-sized restaurants. The results may also be beneficial for entrepreneurs who can implement innovative service practices in order to reduce interaction and empower cleanliness levels. Moreover, academics can use these results to conduct similar research in other geographical contexts. Originality/value The present research represents the first study investigating the relationship between the use of digital technologies and the intentions of customers to go out for dinner during the ongoing pandemic in Italy.
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Purpose This paper aims to identify the opportunities in the service marketplace that have arisen because of the changes brought about by the global pandemic (COVID-19). Design/methodology/approach A conceptual methodological approach is used to analyze trends in the history of service research and discuss how articles presented in this issue help scholars and practitioners with planning for opportunities and confronting challenges in the new (post COVID-19) service marketplace. Findings This special issue puts forth six viewpoints and seven research articles that outline opportunities in the new service marketplace from regional and global perspectives. Further, the research articles presented in this issue identify four opportunities for managers to consider when designing services in the new service marketplace;these are labeled as reassurance and fear reduction, rethinking physical space and supply chains for multichannel service delivery, the rise of local and community importance and resilience building to combat customer discourtesy. Practical implications Managers can understand how the pandemic has profoundly and permanently impacted consumers' perceptions and expectations for service delivery and processes. Originality/value This work presents scholars with a historical overview of trends in service research. The challenges posed by the pandemic represent the beginning of a new era in service research thought and practice as many previously held theories and understandings of consumers' marketplace behaviors have permanently changed because of behavioral changes that transpired during governmental mandated lockdowns.
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Objective of the study: Present the customer service chatbot solutions implemented by MKT4EDU in three Brazilian HEIs. Methodology/Approach: We adopted the case study as a research method. In-depth interviews with four employees of MKT4EDU, the company responsible for the changes implemented in the student support processes at 3 HEIs, collected the data for this technical report interviews. Originality/Relevance: Describes in detail the chatbot implementation process adopted at these HEIs and the results obtained. Main Results: After implementing the changes, by introducing automated bots available 24/7, HEIs met the pent-up demands for student services at a lower cost. Theoretical/ Methodological Contribution: This study contributes to the chatbot literature by investigating how the education sector can implement this technology from five perspectives: interaction, information, accessibility, entertainment, and customization. We present the number of conversations between chatbot and users and the main topics addressed in these conversations. Social/Management Contribution: By reporting the improvements implemented with chatbot technology in three different HEIs at a time of crisis, we believe we are collaborating with organizations that face similar situations and need to adapt to a new context.
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The agricultural sector in Indonesia is one of the important sectors for national food security, especially during COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, Indonesia is currently facing a farmer regeneration crisis because most of the Indonesian farmers are approaching their maximum productive age. If this condition continues, Indonesia is projected to experience a crisis in the number of farmers for the next 10 years. Another problem arises because a lot of agricultural land has been turned into housing. Therefore, the government and many non-profit organizations encourage food self-sufficiency activities such as urban farming. However, to achieve national food security, involvement of various parties is needed to encourage innovation. Further, this study aims to explore the collaboration and innovation blueprint using a business model canvas based on service dominant logic. This initial business model canvas is proposed to provide a big picture of the value co-creation process based on a qualitative approach (i.e., literature review, observation, and interviews). Further studies are expected to validate the developed BMC by presenting various statistical analyses. © 2021 ACM.
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PurposeElectronic Sports (eSports) is an emerging sector of the sports and entertainment industry experiencing an accelerated increase in consumer and sponsor demand. This paper aims to study selected cases of eSports service ecosystems, to identify similarities and differences and to understand the different roles, relationships and multiple interactions of actors involved in value co-creation processes.Design/methodology/approachThis empirical paper follows the service-dominant logic to highlight value creation. Based on the sport value framework, an organizing logic for the actors in sports-related ecosystems to exchange service and co-create value, the authors apply the conceptualization of an eSports service ecosystem framework in which actors create value through their interactions. A case study approach was applied to qualitatively describe two cases of value co-creation by multiple actors during three eSports events. Case study 1a is the 2019 League of Legends World Championship Finals in Paris. Case study 1b is the 2020 League of Legends World Championship Finals in Shanghai. Case study 2 is the BLAST Premier Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Global Final 2020, which was entirely virtual.FindingsThe outcome is an empirically investigated conceptual framework of multiple actors co-creating value within a service ecosystem in eSports. The insights of the cases explain how actors interact with each other and co-create value during events in eSports ecosystems. The cases illustrate interactions in the context of eSports where the actors are connected within ecosystems. This enables further development of a value co-creation concept and a better understanding of value co-creation in eSports.Originality/valueThis study contributes to research by explicating a theoretically grounded framework for eSports service ecosystems based on empirical evidence. This research extends the scope of value co-creation beyond the firm–customer dyad to a service ecosystem in eSports, demonstrating the dynamic interactions of multiple actors.
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Travel livestreaming has brought light to the tourism industry during the darkness of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although travel livestreaming is in full swing in practice, academic research on this subject is somewhat lagging. Value dimensions/drivers derived from service field may contribute to the overall value of relevant stakeholders. The aim of this preliminary study is to identify emotional experiences from the perspective of travel livestream viewers, revealing the drivers of value cocreation and codestruction. Based on grounded theory, data were collected through in-depth semistructured interviews, and 11 functional dimensions were revealed, namely, authenticity and immersion, entertainment, remuneration, uniqueness, symmetry, utility and convenience, interactivity, technical support, livestreamer characteristics, and regulators. These dimensions are contributed by multiple entities, including travel suppliers, livestreamers, live platforms, other viewers, individuals, and the external environment. These findings provide evidence of the reversibility of cocreation and codestruction and makes contributions to both theory and practice, especially regarding implications for future research.
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The study is to propose a theoretical framework for a value co-creation process based on Service Dominant logic and to explore the effect of value co-creation on student benefits in a higher education environment. We applied value co-creation in an online education platform during the COVID-19 pandemic and conducted an empirical analysis on the value co-creation theory in higher education. We found the following results. First, co-production not only directly affects the value-in-use, but also affects student benefits, consisting of satisfaction and loyalty. Second, value-in-use also has a direct effect on student benefits and is more important than co-production in increasing student benefits in an online education platform. This study extends the Service Dominant logic theory by applying the Service Dominant logic, which has been widely studied in service marketing, to the higher education environment. This study also helps university stakeholders to understand the value of online education platform, understand the diversification of online education modalities, and understand the perspective of students as co-creator.